Bassist Jared Hasselhoff's provocative stunt could see US band face criminal charges

PA

Bloodhound Gang have been accused of inciting hatred and are facing a criminal court case in Russia after their bassist shoved the country’s flag down his underpants during a recent gig.

During a recent gig in Odessa, Ukraine, bassist Jared Hasselhoff put the flag down the front of his pants and then pulled it back out. Prior to carrying out the stunt, he told the crowd: “Don’t tell Putin”. You can see footage of the incident at the bottom of the page.

It was reported that the US group had subsequently been banned from playing the Kubana Festival in Russia after Moscow reacted angrily to the stunt. Now, a statement from Russia’s Investigative Committee has accused both Hasselhoff and singer Jimmy Pop – under their real names of Jared Hennegan and James Moyer Franks – of inciting “hatred and enmity” during the show. “Moyer, Hennegan and other unknown persons entered a criminal plot aimed at disgracing Russian citizens and formed a criminal group to that end,” the statement said.

Hassellhoff had apologised for the incident shortly after it happened, and was quoted as saying that it was band tradition for everything thrown on stage to be passed through his pants.

The controversy comes at a time of heightened tensions between Russia and the US over NSA leaker Edward Snowden, who was given temporary asylum in Russia last week to help him evade prosecution in the US.

Bloodhound Gang are notorious for their onstage antics and their sexually explicit songs including, ‘The Bad Touch’, ‘A Lap Dance Is So Much Better When The Stripper Is Crying’ and ‘I Wish I Was Queer So I Could Get Chicks’.

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